Manufacture of solid rubber tires



c. MACBETH AND w. E. HARDEMAN.

MANUFACTURE OF SOLID RUBBER TIRES.

APPLIC'ATION HLED JUNE 9.1919.

1,353,769. PatntedSept. 21,1920.

, K/WT 1 41 4 i I x UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

COLIN MACBETH AND WILLIAM EDWARD HARDEMAN. OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND,

ASSI

GNORS TO THE DUNLOP RUBBER COMPANY. LIMITED. OF

ENGLAND.

WESTMINSTER,

MANUFACTURE OF SOLID RUBBER TIRES.

Application filed June 9. 19194 lie it known that: we. (omx hljtlH-l'llt and Within: EDWARD ll.\nni-:tui\v, hoth subjects of the King of reat Britain. residing at lara Mills. Aston i l'thti Birmingham. in the eouilt) of Warwiek. England. have invented eei'ain new and use'i'ul Improvements in or Relating to the Manufaeture of Solid huhher 'lires, of whieh the following is a speeitieation.

lhis invention relates to the nninnfaeture of solid ruhher tires. the ehief ohje-t heing to provide improved means for eutting or heveling the ends of the ruhher portions or treads of the tires (hereinafter referred to as the tires) while in strip form, that is prior to the tires being fitted around the foundation hantls.

.\eeording to this invention one or more tires in strip form are supported in close proximity to a eireular rotating eutter or knife whieh is adapted to he moved to eat the ends of the tires to shape them as required to produee a suitahle join when the tire assumes its eireular form. The said knife is ]I1'tfl'ltllIl mounted in a swinging hraeket at the side of the traelt' supporting the tire or tires and in a plane lllt'lillttl to the plane of the traek so that by transversely moving the knife aeross the tires it euts and hevels the ends thereof: the knife ma hoW- ever he loeated ahove or helow the tires. A fter thi tires have heen eut and heveled at one end they are moved forward until their ent ends eolne into eontaet with a stop whieh run he set to any 1n'edetermiln-d position so as t leterinine the exaet position at whieh the tilt at the other end of the tires is to he eileeted. l his stop therefore enahles the tires to he eut to the desired length and insures that the rot or heveled sul'faees at the two ends are parallel with eaeh other.

In order that the invention may he elearly understood and readily earried into efl'eet, the same will now he more fully deserihed with referenee to the aeeouipanying diagrannnatie drawings in whieh1- igure l illustrates in perspeelive one eonstr etion of the improved apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a side view of part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 illustrating the angular position of the knife relatively to the tires.

A A represents two tires in strip form which are adapted to he moved by hand or Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1920. Serial No 302.920.

otherwise along a horizontal roller track B on to a roller traek t. l) is the rotting knife whieh. as shown, is of disk form and is mounted on a spindle l: in a position inelined to the horizontal, the spindle being supported at one end of a swinging hraeket 1 whose other end is mounted on a shaft H supported on a frame (It. so that the frame ean he an 'ularly moved ah mt the axis of the shaft Tl. The roller tr-i 'lt's may he inelined to ohtain the advantag of the aetion of gravity in moving the tires along the traeks. in whieh ease the position of the knife would he arranged to suit the inelination of the traets. The knife is adapted to he rotated hy means of a belt I passin around a pulley J on the knife spindle and around a pulley K at the other end of the swinging frame. wh -h pidley K is driven hy any appropriate gearing not; shown. The knife is maintained in all in operative position within a easing I; out of the path of the tires h v means of a spring M. lletween the two traeks B and C is a spaee H (see Fig. 2) into whieh the rotating knife ean he moved by pulling the swinging hraeket l toward the tires for which purpose a handle N seeured to the frame extends through a plate 0 in a -onvenient position to he pulled by the operator when it is desired to etfeet the (lltti".g operation. .\s shown in Fig. 2 eurved plate is provided at the end of the traek adjaeent to the entting spaee B to afford adetliitltl support for the tires at this point. Adjaeent to the position where the enttin of the tires is etl'eeted; a easing or gtuird is provided whieh is so shaped as to form a passage way or guide to allow the tires to he passed under the same as shown and whieh also serves to eover the krife when moved as aforesaid and thus safeguard the operator against being injured by the rotatiing knife. Owing to the angular position of the knife relatively to the tires it eats the tires at an angle to the length thereof thus produeing the beveled ends. After the forward or leading edges of the tire have been ent or heveled by moving the knife as :IfOIfStlitl. the operator releases the handle L so that the spring M restores the knife to the inoperative position within the casing L. The tires can then be moved forward by hand or otherwise along the track C so that the beveled ends are brought into contact with an inclined stop Q mounted on a suitable support the inclination of which stolp corresponds to the inclination of the have ed ends of the tires. The operator then pulls the knife by means of the handle N so as to out the rear ends of the tires and thus produce beveled ends corresponding to and parallel with the beveled ends at the leading or for ward ends of the tires. The stop may be adjustable to any suitable position and readily clamped therein by a nut B so as to determine the exact position at which the rear ends of the tires are to be cut and the length of tire which is to be formed. It will be observed that the cut is made by the portion of the knife between the tires and the knife spindle, thus insuring that the knife spindle has ample clearance and reducing the diameter of the knife as compared with that which would be reqgired if the knife were disposed above or low the tires. After the two ends of the tires have been cut the latter are read to be a plied to the foundation bands an the inclined or beveled ends of each tire according to the example shown meet when the tire is placed around the band and are joined together to form a kind of lap joint. The track B which receives two tires may be wider than the track G which need only receive one tire. As shown in the drawings a plurality of small tires may be cut simultaneously but large tires are cut separately, and the tire or tires may be sup rted in any desire osition and the on s cut or beveled to ena Is an suitable form of join to be made (accor ing to the size or type of tire) when the tire assumes its circular form. Solid rubber tires of any type may be cut or beveled by this machmeand double spewed tires, either before or afterlongitudinal division as set forth in the specifications of concurrent British applications Nos. 10337 and 10342 of 1918 may becut or beveled by this machine.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is a 1. In an apparatus for beveling the ends of solid rubber tire strips, the co ination of a rotating cutter, a support for a solid rubber tire strip adapted to position such strip in a plane inclined to the plane of the cutter and with the length of the strip extending transversely of the cutting edge, apd means for eii'ecting relative bodily movement between the support and cutter, whereby the strip will be severed and formed with a bevel end.

2. In an apparatus for beveling the ends of solid rubber tire strips, the combination of a. rotating cutter, a support adapted to position a solid rubber tire strip in a plane inclined to that of the cutter, means for effecting relative bodily movement between 1 ,suapao the cuttcr'and support, to sever the strip and form a bevel end thereon. and a stop on said support having an inclined face corresponding to thc beveled end of a tire strip and adapted to cooperate with such beveled end to determine the length of tires cut from the strip.

3. in an apparatus for bevcling the ends of solid rubber tire strips, the combination of a support over which a solid rubber tire strip is adapted to be moved longitudinally a rotating cutter arranged in a plane inclined to the plane of the support and the tire strip thereon, incans for moving the cutter to sever the strip transversely and form a beveled end thereon, and means for coo )erating with an edge of the strip to afford lateral support therefor during the cutting operation.

4. ln an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a support over which a solid rubber tire strip is adapted to be movcd longitiulinally, a rotating cuttcr arranged at one side of, and'in a plane inclined to the plane ot' the support and a tire strip thereon. means for moving the cutter to sever the strip and form a bevel end thereon. and means providing a lateral support for the edge of the strip remote from the cutter.

5. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a support for a solid rubber tire strip, a swinging bracket at one side of said support, a circular rotating cutter mounted in said bracket and arranged in ai plane inclined to that of shid support, and means for swinginp the brhckot to cause the cutter to sever a strip on the support and form a beveled end thereon.

6. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a support for a solid rubber tire strip, a swinging bracket at one side of said support, a circular rotating cutter mounted in said bracket and arranged in a plane inclined to said support, a spring acting to hold the bracket away from the support, and means for swinging the bracket against the action of the spring to cause the cutter to sever a strip on the support and form a beveled endthereon.

7. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a sectional track-like support over which a solid rubber tire strip is adapted to be moved longitudinally, adjacent sections of said support being suitably separated, a rotating cutter arranged in a plane inclined to the plane of the support and positioned opposite the space lmtween said sections of the support, and means for moving the cutter into the space separating the track sections to sever a strip on the support and bevel the adjacent ends of the severed sections.

In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of an inclined roller track way adapted to )erinit a solid rubber tire strip to be moved thereover, an adjustable stop adapted to limit movement oi the tire strip along the track \va a rotating cutter arranged in a plane inclined to the plane of the track way, and means for moving said cutter to cause it to sever a tire strip on the track \va and form a beveled end thereon.

9. The herein described method of shap ing the ends of solid rubber tires prior to appl vin; them to foundation bands which eoinprises supporting a tire stripadjacent and in a plane inclined to the plane of a rotatin; cutter. and elieetin g relative bodily movement between the cutter and support to sever the strip and form a beveled end thereon.

H In an apparatus for bevelingr the ends of' solid rubber tire strips, the combination of a rotating cutter, a support for a tire strip adu )ted to position such strip in a plane inclined to the plane of the cutter, means for moving the cutter bodil transversely of the support to sever t e strip thereon and form a beveled end, and a guard arranged to extend over the cutter when it is positioned to sever the strip.

H. In an apparatus for beveling the ends of solid rubber tire strips, the combination of a rotating cutter, a support for a tire strip adapted to position such strip in a plane inclined to the plane of the cutter, means for moving the cutter bodil transversely of the support to sever tie strip thereon and form a beveled end, and a guard arranged to provide aiateral support for the strip while it is being severed and havin; a top which extends over the cutter when the latter is in cuttinp relation to the strip.

COLIN MAGBETH. WHJMAM EDWARD HARDEMAN. 

